Just days after the announcement that James Maloney would not be re-signing with the New Zealand Warriors at the completing of his contract in 2012 comes word that the halfback has signed a three year deal with the Sydney Roosters from 2013.
Maloney is a good buy for the Roosters and will partner Mitchell Pearce in the halves. I would also suspect that he is a nice option should the Roosters grow tired of Pearce and see another good young players at another club that they want to buy.
Hey, anything to keep Braith Anasta out of the halves, right?
It is funny that this moves comes just a few days after the Roosters come out and rubbished reports that they were looking to sign Brett and Glenn Stewart from the Manly Sea Eagles, saying they wanted to “concentrate on junior development”.
I guess Auckland is kinda like far, far, far east Bondi.
Can somebody tell me why we have the Roosters in the National Rugby League?
This is a club based in Sydney that has no junior competition. Its entire junior development system is based on buying junior players from other areas. No other club in the world is set up like that.
Their fan base is minute and they are only kept going because a couple of rich guys pump money into them.
I’ve always had a theory that you could start a brand new Rugby League clubs in Sydney, playing out of the SFS. Make them generic, call them Sydney Rugby League club, play them in light blue and white.
I have no doubt that new club would instantly have a bigger supporter base than the Sydney Roosters would.
The Roosters simply serve no purpose to Rugby League in Australia. I can make a case for what each team in the National Rugby League brings to the competition, yet I can not make one for the Roosters.
Then we have to have a look at the New Zealand Warriors, and the stupidity of their management.
Its funny because, every single time the Warriors get some hint of success, it is like their management looks in the mirror every morning and says “Look at all of the success I have brought to this club. Today, I am going to make a big decision”.
Then they do something really dumb.
It all started when they decided not to commit long term to the best coach in the clubs history, and then let him walk to Penrith the same years he took the Warriors to the Grand Final.
A few weeks ago they then announced they had signed Wigan utility Thomas Leuluai to a contract starting in 2013. Because any time you can lock up an under skilled, aging, Super League player, you jump at the chance!
Then you compact that decision with letting Maloney to leave without putting up a fight. You don’t let good halves leave a club. When they are unhappy, homesick, looking for a change of scenery, you pay them more. You make them miserable and rich.
That is three colossally stupid decisions right there!
From one of their most successful seasons ever, the Warriors will have allowed their coach, halfback and hooker all to leave the club. You don’t have continued success by allowing those three key areas of your club to leave!
So, Maloney is off to the Roosters, where no doubt he will be made to feel like he is the most important player they have ever had. Well, until they spot someone else they want. Then they will sack him or tell him to go away and train in a field all by himself.
